


Ataraxia, Cutlass, and the Penalty

by WattStalf



Category: Original Work
Genre: Abusive Relationship, F/F, F/M, franny gets around, super hero universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-17
Updated: 2015-10-17
Packaged: 2018-04-26 17:56:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5014426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WattStalf/pseuds/WattStalf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Francesca Pierce thinks about the other vigilantes in her life. Semi-sequel to Myrmidon and the Penalty.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ataraxia, Cutlass, and the Penalty

**Author's Note:**

> As said in the summary, it's a sequel of sorts. You should probably read the other one first. This was also written for my creative writing class. There's probably going to be one more Cavalry story for that class, focusing on Razzmatazz and the Sweetheart, so look out for that!

Francesca Pierce was not easy to get along with. She had made that a well-known fact ever since the first meeting of the vigilante team that would call itself the Cavalry. After making a scene like she had, Myrmidon and Razzmatazz- the other founding members- knew that she had a temper, she had an attitude, and she was not afraid to show either of these things. She was not there to make friends; she was there to enact vengeance. She was there to make a very bad man pay the Penalty.

But despite the difficulties in befriending someone like her, Francesca did have two people that she would consider her friends. Whether or not they agreed with that was another matter entirely, but she could definitely say that she liked them and enjoyed their company. The first of these was Cutlass, a swordsman who had refused time and again to join the Cavalry, but who had assisted them in many a tough situation. She liked Cutlass because he was not afraid to kill, like her teammates were, and she liked him because he was resilient. He never gave up until the job was done, and would use any means necessary.

The other was a man by the name of William Jones, alias Ataraxia. He was a strange man, with a strange appearance and even stranger abilities, the likes of which had never been seen before. Out of all of them, he was the closest to a true super hero. Myrmidon relied on skill; Razzmatazz's magic tricks were just that; the Penalty possessed only brute strength and bullets. Ataraxia was a telekinetic so powerful he could levitate himself, and anything else he saw the need to. He had appeared seemingly out of nowhere to assist the team in a fight against some villain who called herself the Sweetheart, and had had a permanent spot on the team ever since.

He was a tall man, the only member of the team taller than Francesca, and was skinny, with a long and elegant face. His costume consisted of black pants, a silver tailcoat, and a silver domino mask, but the most striking thing about his appearance was his silver hair. It was clear from one look at his face that he was young- late twenties, at the oldest, and definitely younger than Francesca- yet his hair was a fine, light gray. He said that that ran in the family, that everyone on his father's side was completely gray by their late teens.

It was a few years before his hair had begun to change that he discovered his abilities, he'd told them. One day, he had been staring intently at a book, debating whether or not he would read it, when it had jumped off the shelf at him. After several similar experiences, he began to experiment and discover the full range of his unusual power. The most notable discovery that he claimed to have made was the fact that he had to be completely calm and focused to access his telekinesis. His alias was a word that meant, “a state of serene calmness”; Francesca thought it appropriate that one of the few people she got along with was someone who had to remain calm at all times.

Will got along with Cutlass as well, and Cutlass was also not easy to get along with, so perhaps his calm nature really did make him a good friend for those who could not typically make friends. Either way, Francesca liked both of them for different reasons, and suspected that they both liked her as well. Will seemed to like everybody, so it wasn't much of a stretch to assume that extended to her; Cutlass was a bit more difficult to read, but when the team would split up for stakeouts, he tended to show up at her post and join her. When he dropped by their headquarters, unannounced- because everything Cutlass did was unannounced- he would visit with Will first, then always find time for Francesca.

Jack and Alex were not so fond of Cutlass and his sharp words and strong opinions and refusal to join the team, but they both knew he was a strong ally and so they tolerated his presence. Anabel tried her best to get along with him, but he made it very clear that he did not like her. She was the fifth member of the Cavalry, a young genius who called herself Serendipity and had a plethora of gadgets and inventions that earned her a place on the team. She was also Francesca's girlfriend, but Francesca was mainly seeing her for publicity and didn't really consider Anabel to be anything special. She was not sure if Anabel knew that or not.

~X~

“So, why do ya hate Annie so much?” asked Francesca.

Early that day, Cutlass had dropped in to talk to Will about something, but Will had been busy helping Anabel out with one of her gadgets. He was the only one smart enough to even remotely keep up with her, so he was the closest thing to a lab assistant that she had. Cutlass had been annoyed that his friend had chosen that over him, and had tracked down Francesca to complain during her nightly patrol.

“You know exactly why,” he replied. “I don't like the way she acts so innocent when we all know she isn't.”

“Now, why wouldja think somethin' like that?”she asked, taking a drag on her cigarette. “Of course little Annie is innocent! She's still a kid, after all.”

“Then why is she with you?” Cutlass asked. “After all, could anyone call themselves innocent while doing something so unnatural?”

“What, cos she's a lesbian?” Francesca knew that her relationship with Anabel was unusual, but she was pretty sure that Cutlass didn't know how she liked to put out her cigarettes on the young woman's back or that, when they made love, she would trail her one of her guns down Anabel's cheek and never tell her if it was loaded or not.

“Exactly. That's unnatural,” he said, his tone absolute.

Francesca snorted and rolled her eyes. “So? And yer feelin's for Will aren't?”

“The fuck is that supposed to mean?” He spoke in a low, warning tone, daring her to say anything more on the subject. Of course, she had no idea if she was right or not- she had only said it because she knew it would get under his skin- but he was getting rather defensive about the whole ordeal, and she thought it would be absolutely hilarious if that was the case.

“Oh, nothin', just callin' it like I see it,” she replied. Cutlass looked ready to kill, but before he could do or say anything, she had another thought. “Hey, wait. There's somethin' I gotta know, somethin' that don't add up.”

“What?” he snapped.

“How come ya don't hate me?” asked Francesca. “I mean, I'm jus' as much a part a that relationship as Annie. Doncha think I'm 'unnatural' too?”

“Nothing was ever natural about you,” said Cutlass. “I wouldn't hold you to the same standard as everyone else. Besides, who can really tell when they're supposed to take something you do seriously?”

“So ya got a crush on _me_ , then,” she said, blowing smoke.

The man choked, from what she assumed was a combination of shock and the smoke assaulting his lungs. “Seriously, Franny, what the fuck are you going on about tonight? While that is a much better accusation than me having feelings for Will, it's still completely ridiculous.”

“Yeah, yeah, ya ain't got feelings, I know. Ya big, tough, mysterious vigilante, you.” She prodded at his cheek and he slapped her hand away. “An' don't call me Franny. We're on tha job, gotta be more professional'n that. It's the Penalty out here.”

“Yet you referred to Anabel and Will by their street names,” he replied. “You wouldn't know the first thing about being professional, my dear Penalty.”

“So? Ya gotta problem with that?”

“Of course not. In fact, I'd love it if you never changed.” She wasn't sure if she was imagining it or not, but she thought she saw the slightest hint of a genuine smile tugging at Cutlass' lips, and she responded with her own face-splitting grin.

“So ya  _do_ like me!” Francesca declared, cackling.

“Oh my God,” he groaned. “Are you kidding me?” His smile that might not have been a smile was gone now, but Francesca decided to take some time to look him over. She had seen him so many times that she had practically memorized his appearance- curly black hair, a white mask that could have been made from a bed sheet, with a cutout that extended from just over the tip of his nose to his chin and eye holes, caramel skin, brown eyes, and a lean build. He was shorter than her, but few people weren't, and his “costume” consisted entirely of casual clothes. Black canvas shoes, light blue skinny jeans, a white t-shirt, a black jacket with white sleeves, and black gloves made up his attire, and she wondered what he wore off the job to make this constitute a costume.

“What are you staring at?” he asked, unnerved by her silence. Really, she had seen so much of him, but she had never once seen his face. Nobody had, as far as she knew, but she was always open to new experiences.

“Well, I figure if yer crushin' on me, I should at least know whose heart I'm breakin'!” Without another word, she lunged at him and reached behind his head, ripping his mask off. She got one good look at his face, a face that was almost as handsome and elegant as Will's, before he had tackled her to the ground.

The mask was torn from her hands and a fist connected with her cheek, snapping her head to the side. She looked up at Cutlass and smirked, and he punched her again. The speed of his blows increased, though he sometimes aimed for her stomach, causing her to dry heave. He never gave her enough time to catch her breath from that before he turned his fists back to her face. At some point, she heard a crunch from her nose, and felt a wet warmth spill down onto her lips.

When the man paused in his beating, chest heaving with the remnants of his anger, she licked at her blood, moaning as the taste of iron hit her tongue. “God damn, ya sure know how ta treat a lady,” she said, grinning at him. There was blood in her teeth and she let out another moan, this one much more lecherous than the last. “Really, I wouldn't mind doin' it with ya, seein' as ya got such a big crush on me an' all!”

“You're disgusting,” he said, halting his blows and tying his mask back on. He turned away from her and she snickered.

“I knew it.”

“Knew what?” asked Cutlass, not looking back at her.

“Oh, nothin'. Jus' that you're a total cutie!”

He huffed, starting to walk away. “Never mention tonight again,” he growled just before he turned a corner. Francesca didn't try to follow him.

~X~

Because cigarettes were not cheap, Francesca had a day job. Jack managed the money provided by the city, and did not allow cigarettes to slip into the budget. If she were going to keep up her habit, she had to work, and so she worked at a discount store in downtown Louis City. Being in the middle of everything like that, the store had a hard time holding down employees- when there was a better store hiring right next door, anyone would want to leave. That was the only reason someone like Francesca could keep a job there. They were so desperate for workers, and would put up with her off-putting personality if it meant they had at least one regular outside of management.

It was far from a good job, but it paid well enough to keep her smoking and give her a little extra to save up for motorcycles. More often then not, she would only possess a motorcycle for a month or so before it was damaged beyond use fighting a villain, and then she would have to save up for a new one. In those in-between times, she would take the subway to and from work, and, nearly every day, she would stand next to the same man.

He was shorter than her, but few people weren't, and he always wore suits- most likely a businessman. He had curly black hair and golden brown skin, and a face that was so damn pretty it almost made her jealous.

As always, he was already on the train when she boarded, and she took her usual spot next to him. She looked down at him, waiting for him to notice. When he finally returned her look, she smirked and he glared. She snickered.

~X~

Anabel was asleep and Francesca was lonely, but not quite lonely enough to wake her up. Really, Francesca was never the type of lonely that her girlfriend could cure, but tonight she was especially certain that the young woman would do nothing to help her. If there was anyone out there that could give her what she needed, she hadn't found them yet.

Jack had been no good. She had hoped that he was young enough to still be impressionable- she found out that he was five years younger than her later- but, if he had been, he had not been impressionable enough. In fact, he had completely ignored her requests and acted miserable the next morning. Anabel was too young, too impressionable, too goddamn _innocent_ for Francesca to even considering making requests of. The most she could ever do with her was give her what it was she wanted to receive. Giving was still nice, but it couldn't suffice forever. Cutlass had given her a teaser when she unmasked him, but he had not delivered the full package.

She turned her thoughts back to her experience with Jack and her experiences with Anabel, and it occurred to her that she had slept with two out of her four teammates. That was half the team that she had bedded, and she chuckled at the thought, debating on whether or not she should high-five herself for that conquest. Instead, she decided that it was time for a new conquest and exited her apartment, wandering down the hallway and trying the doorknob.

It was rare for any of the Cavalry members to look their doors, seeing as they were the only ones living in the building, and Will was no different. The lights were off and it was quiet; she assumed that he had already settled in to go to bed. That didn't really matter to her, and she strode in the direction of his bedroom, throwing the door open and flipping on the lights.

“C'mon, let's get down to it!” she said.

“Excuse me?” asked Will, rolling over and looking up at the woman in the doorway, completely unfazed. He looked alert enough that he couldn't have just woken up. He had to have just laid down and not yet fallen asleep.

“I said, let's get down to it,” she repeated. “C'mon, we gonna do this or what?”

“I'm not sure I know what you're talking about,” he said, and his eyes glowed like they always did when he used his telekinesis. His blankets lifted off of him without him touching them and he stood up, the blankets falling back into perfect place on his bed. “I don't recall making any plans with you, so if there's anything I've forgotten...”

“S'not like that,” she replied, crossing the room and placing her hands on his shoulders. “This is more of a, ya know, _spontaneous_ kinda thing.” She pressed her lips against his and did not move them until he got the hint and kissed her back.

She broke the kiss and said, “So, again I gotta ask. We gonna do this or what?”

Will gave a small smile and replied, “Well, this isn't the strangest thing I've done this week.”

His eyes glowed again, and she felt her leather jacket slide off her shoulders, falling to the floor. The buckles on her corset came undone, one by one, and the zipper slid down while her ammo belt snapped off and her pants unbuttoned. Francesca grinned and said, “Neat trick. Now, lesse what else you can do. I gotta few special requests and I was hopin' you could keep up with me.”

~X~

The next night on patrol, the city was quiet and Francesca took that time to think about her night with Will. Like always, it had been nothing to write home about, and she was disappointed. Unlike Jack, he hadn't flat out ignored the way she begged him to hit her, but he had refused, and no matter how many times she brought it up, he did not change his mind. He did what he could to distract her from that, and it hadn't been the worst night of her life, but she had really hoped he could use his powers to hurt her in some special kind of way.

The way he had removed her clothes without touching her- quite literally undressing her with his eyes- had been fun, but, now that she thought about it, that implied he hadn't really been that interested in her. After all, he had to be calm to access his telekinesis, and that meant a slow, steady heartbeat, and a slow, steady heartbeat was not a trait that typically accompanied arousal. At what point had he actually gotten into the whole ordeal, or had he at all?

 _I wonder what all he can lift using those powers of his_ , she thought, and then burst out laughing at her own lewd joke. She found the thought so funny that she doubled over in the alley she had been patrolling, laughing for almost a full minute. After the laughter had slowed to a stop, she exhaled and started to walk off down the alley. She heard the sound of a throat clearing behind her.

“What's so funny?” asked Cutlass.

“Oh, nothin',” she said, turning and waving at him.

“Well, that 'nothing' gave your position away, so I'd be more careful about how amusing you find nothing in the future,” he replied. “You out on patrol?”

“Obviously. Heh, kinda surprised ya'd come back ta hang out with me, considerin' what happened last time.”

Cutlass growled slightly and said, “I thought I told you not to mention that ever again.”

“Aw, honey, it's so sweet thatcha got that much faith in me,” she cooed. “But we've known each other for a while now and I figured ya already knew I was an asshole.”

“Actually, I know that a little too well. Fine, if you're going to be like that, I'll just be on my way.” He turned around to stalk off.

“Nathaniel James Jasper.” Francesca said this slowly, enunciating each name.

Cutlass froze. “What did you say?”

“Nathaniel James Jasper,” she repeated, her tone a bit more casual this time. “Why? What's it to ya?”

The man whirled around, closing the distance between them in a split-second and pinning her against a brick wall. He drew one of his blades, pressing it lightly against her neck. “Where did you hear that name?” he asked in a threatening voice.

“Just someone I know,” she said. “A real cutie I've seen around town before. Now, I gotta know...can I call ya 'Nathan'?”

He pressed the blade just a fraction of a millimeter closer to her neck, just enough for her to feel the sting of the blade and let out a hiss that did not sound as pained as she was sure he wanted. “You can call me Cutlass. I don't know who this 'Nathan' guy is, but I think it'd be best if you stopped talking about him.”

“Can ya really say yer surprised?” she asked. “I mean, really. I already had my suspicions about yer identity. After seein' that pretty little face a yours, how could I help myself? 'Sides, it's not like I'm gonna go 'round tellin' anyone.”

Francesca was surprised when he backed off, putting his sword away. She was also somewhat disappointed, and had been hoping for him to attack her like he had before. She really needed that after her boring night with Will, but all Cutlass said was, “Fine. It's your head if you say anything.”

“Hey, c'mon, I won't be unfair,” she said, after a moment of silence. “I stole one a yer secrets. Hows abouts I give ya one a mine?”

He scoffed. “Like what? You're so shameless, I doubt you even have any secrets.”

“Like my name,” she replied.

Cutlass glared at her. “Are you kidding me right now? You're name isn't a secret, at least not from me and your team. Francesca Pierce. That isn't exactly a fair trade.”

“S'not what I meant. I didn't mean _my name_ my name, I meant a name I got that's a secret.” He remained silent, allowing her to continue. “Samantha Riley Somethin'-or-other. Not really sure what the last name is, but I betcha anything it ain't Pierce.”

“Who is she?”

“My daughter,” said Francesca with a shrug, as if this were a commonly known fact. “I had her back before I became the Penalty, see? Riley's my middle name, so I gave her somethin' a mine. I kinda liked Samantha for a girl's name. Really liked Bianca too, but that's a pretty girl's name, and any daughter of mine sure as hell wouldn't grow up ta be a pretty girl.”

“You have a kid?” was all he could say.

“'Course I have a kid! Weren't ya even listening? Obviously, I don't got her right now. Last I saw her was at an orphanage down in Lexintopolis. Figured she'd be better off far away from me, ya know? I couldn't have a daughter and be the Penalty.”

“But...if you already knew you were going to become the Penalty, then wouldn't that mean...?” Cutlass let the question hang in the air.

“Obviously. When I said she was born back before I became the Penalty, I mean she was born _right_ before. So, yeah.” She chuckled. “Ramshackle's her father. He don't know he is though, never let anyone find out I was pregnant. God only knows what he would do if he knew we had a daughter together.”

It was a long time before he found anything to say to her, and even then, all he said was, “I guess that one was a fair trade. I won't tell anyone. I mean, as long as you don't tell anyone my identity.”

“Good man,” she said. “Ya know, ya really are one a my best friends. How about this? After all a this is over, and Ramshackle is dead, and Louis City don't need us runnin' around no more, you and me get married and get the hell outta here?”

There was a pause before Cutlass snorted and said, “Whatever, Franny.” She wasn't sure if she was imagining it or not, but she thought she saw the slightest hint of a genuine smile tugging at Cutlass' lips.

~X~

“Hey, Will, wanna hear a story?”

“Oh, hello, Francesca,” said Will, looking up from the book he was reading. The book hovered in the air in front of him, and his eyes had their telltale glow. If he felt at all awkward about having slept with the woman in front of him, his face did not betray that. The book closed and came to rest on a table, the glow fading from his eyes. “Is there something I can help you with?”

“I asked if ya wanted ta hear a story,” she said. “So, do ya or doncha?”

“I suppose I do,” he said. “What's this story about?”

“It's about me! Me an' Jack an' Alex, back before you or Annie ever even thought about joinin' the Cavalry,” she said. “Back when we was just startin' out, I finally got the tip I'd been waitin' for: what Ramshackle was up to and where he was hidin'. Of course, we jumped on that and stormed his hideout, takin' out all his thugs left an' right. He knew I was there and started playin' this song he used ta play for me, back when he had me tied up in his basement. Didn't let that bother me, though, and kicked everyone's ass.

“Finally, we got through everybody 'cept the man we were there for, and then he comes out. It's tha first time I've seen him in person since I escaped, and he says some bullshit 'bout how I'm jus' as beautiful as he remembers. I charge at him, gun in hand, ready to end his miserable life, and he jus' stands there, waitin' for it. And ya wanna know what happened next?”

Will looked at her expectantly and she chuckled. “Well, then I threw my gun on the ground, I marched right up to Conrad Richards grabbed him by the collar...and I kissed him. Right then an' there, I kissed him.” She laughed, abruptly turning and walking out of the room, leaving Will to wonder why she had told him this.

~X~

It was not easy to get along with Francesca Pierce, and she knew that. She knew that she was not a likable person, and that she was not a person prone to liking many others. That made what few friendships she had all the more special to her, and as she thought about Will and Cutlass, she decided that those were the only two friends she would ever need. Between the man so calm he could take whatever she threw at him and the man just as driven, just as rough around the edges as she, she knew she had made the right choice in considering them her friends.

She thought it funny that they were her only friends and that they also appeared to be very good friends themselves, and yet the three never spent time together. It made her wonder if they would even be able to manage as a group, or if she and Cutlass' combined personalities would be too much for even Will to handle. It would certainly be a fun experiment, at least.

As she thought of these things and replayed the events of the past week in her mind, she made her way to Anabel's room. She knew that the girl would be awake, as they had arranged this ahead of time. Almost the instant she knocked on the door, she was let in, Anabel grinning up at her eagerly. It was very clear that she did not notice or was able to ignore how unlikable Francesca was, but Francesca did not consider her a friend. No matter how much Anabel adored her, she did not understand the Penalty and did not accept just how terrible of a person she was.

But she did not have to understand or accept to do what they usually did, what they were going to do tonight, and Francesca wasted no time in taking her girlfriend to bed. As always, she started things off sweet, but quickly changed pace, slapping the other girl across the face. Later in the night, she would want to smoke, and when she was done, she would use Anabel as an ashtray. For now, she would stick to beating her.

“Francesca,” she said, grinning at her lover's bloody nose.

“Francesca,” echoed Anabel, misinterpreting what had been meant by that statement. She likely though she was just being asked to say her name. Yet another disappointment Francesca had to face from a lover.

 _Oh well_ , she thought. _It would probably be weird if I asked her to call me Conrad._


End file.
